What does it mean to get a perfect score on the college entrance exam but then go missing?

Wu Changjiang wasn't entirely clear on just how formidable the heavy combined arms brigades of the Zhongchen Theater Command were.

But Qin Ze single-handedly produced a next-generation fighter-bomber, a capability that cannot be measured by the standards of a combined arms brigade.

It's fortunate that this was just a test flight.

The plane was not hostile.

If he has it, and it's loaded with ammunition.

Today, all the planes sent into the sky by the Western Desert war zone will be reduced to ashes.

With its perfect stealth capabilities and high maneuverability, this aircraft can assassinate any aircraft at any time.

"Young comrade, don't panic."

Wu Changjiang immediately put on a kind expression.

"Unauthorized test flights are not a major crime."

"I'll take responsibility for the consequences of this incident."

"You'd better bring the plane back quickly."

Wu Changjiang's calculations were going very smoothly.

Unauthorized test flight triggered a level-one combat readiness alert in the theater of operations.

The higher authorities will definitely hold them accountable.

Wu Changjiang took the initiative to take on this responsibility, protecting Qin Ze and doing him a favor in advance.

top priority.

The goal is to quickly retrieve this mysterious aircraft and rearrange the acceptance process.

This time, the military will accompany them throughout the entire process.

Wu Changjiang needs to know the limits of this aircraft, and even more importantly, the limits of our military's future air combat capabilities.

"Receive?" Qin Ze suddenly asked. "How do I receive it?"

Wu Changjiang replied matter-of-factly, "Arrange for the fighter jets to return to base."

"No, it's been so long, the plane has long since flown away."

Qin Ze shrugged, indicating that he couldn't help.

The return button has been removed.

"We cannot turn back midway unless he completes the designated testing mission."

Wu Changjiang thought about it and agreed, then asked, "So where is it now?"

Bai Huiyan, who was in charge of tracking the data, reported to her supervisor: "13°28′N, 144°47′E."

The two generals had been fighting for many years and were very familiar with latitude and longitude coordinates.

This location is in the western Pacific Ocean.

Upon learning this fact, Wu Changjiang immediately complained.

"Young comrade! You've been too hasty! You've been so careless!"

"If you're doing test flights, just fly them domestically, that'll suffice."

"Why did you go abroad?"

Qin Ze helplessly spread his hands: "There's nothing I can do, it's too fast, I can't stop it."

"That's true, but it's very dangerous abroad, what if..."

Wu Changjiang hadn't finished speaking yet.

Yang Xiao suddenly realized something: "Wait a minute, your coordinates are more than 4,000 kilometers away from here, and there are only 45 minutes left before takeoff. This doesn't make sense."

They flew more than 4,000 kilometers in 45 minutes.

It's guaranteed to exceed Mach 8!

Yang Xiao became serious: "Didn't you just say your thing could go Mach 5?"

"I didn't," Qin Ze quickly waved his hand. "My exact words were—'a little over Mach 5.'"

Yang Xiao: "????"

Wu Changjiang immediately pressed, "How much more?"

"Around Mach 4 or 5," Qin Ze said casually. "Our current theoretical maximum cruising speed is around Mach 10."

? ? ? ?

? ? ? ?

? ? ? ?

The scene was completely silent.

Everyone stared intently at Qin Ze, speechless with frustration.

No, are you still a carbon-based life form?

How can you round up like that?

You call Mach 10 a little more than Mach 5?

If my monthly salary is 5,000, can I say that my annual income is less than one million?

I'm seriously impressed!

Fine!

We won't say anything about rounding up or down.

The main thing is!

Who taught you to build airplanes like this?

Cruising speed of Mach 10!

This is the fastest aircraft ever built by mankind, apart from missiles.

As for how fast...

The fact that the plane is currently over the western Pacific Ocean says it all.

This speed allows for rapid global strikes, compressing almost all of the opponent's reaction time.

By the time the other party realizes that disaster is imminent, it is too late to adjust or evade.

Yang Xiao couldn't resist and gave Qin Ze a whack on the back of the head.

"No, what are you really thinking?"

Qin Ze said somewhat aggrievedly, "I was thinking that speed is the only way to win."

"Tsk! What I mean is, what were you thinking, creating such a powerful weapon without even saying anything beforehand?"

Yang Xiao was truly impressed.

This is how I came to know Qin Ze.

If it were someone like Wu Changjiang, who was seeing Qin Ze manifest for the first time, they would be so shocked that they wouldn't be able to speak.

Yang Xiao then asked, "How did you manage to reach Mach 10?"

"It's mainly thanks to the multimodal rotating detonation engine."

Qin Ze explained.

"Those of you who frequently build airplanes also know this."

"An airplane can go fast entirely because it has low drag."

"Near space has the least drag, and theoretically, the fastest flight speed is possible."

"But at the same time, there is no air available for the engine to burn in the adjacent space."

"The multi-modal engine can switch between multiple operating modes."

"Therefore, it can provide stable power for the aircraft."

Yang Xiao nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Near space refers to altitudes of 20-100 kilometers.

20 kilometers is the service ceiling of conventional aircraft, but it is the starting line for near-space fighter jets.

The 100-kilometer Kármán line is the boundary line between outer space and outer space.

At an altitude of 80 kilometers, the atmosphere is thin, and the aircraft no longer relies on aerodynamics but follows orbital mechanics.

Therefore, in a sense, this aircraft can already be considered a type of satellite spacecraft.

For Yang Xiao and Wu Changjiang, once an airplane is classified as a satellite...

Its strategic and tactical significance is thus extended infinitely.

These aircraft combine the high-altitude visibility of satellites and the high-speed penetration capability of ballistic missiles, while remaining as flexible and controllable as conventional fighter jets.

Moreover, the anti-missile pressure exerted on the ground by near-space vehicles is at its maximum.

Conventional air defense methods are generally ineffective against this area.

Even in the area of ​​radar, only the most advanced systems like THAAD and Aegis can be seen.

Other conventional radars are simply incapable of detecting it...

"Umm?"

Thinking about radar, Wu Changjiang suddenly realized something.

He looked at Bai Huiyan, who was in charge of collecting data.

"Little girl!"

"You just said where the plane was?"

白慧妍：「刚才是北纬 13°28′，东经 144°47，此刻又变化了一下，更正为13°35′N，144°55′E。」

"no!"

Wu Changjiang then realized something was wrong.

"Isn't that Guam? That's too dangerous!"

Previously, Yang Xiao and Wu Changjiang had only judged based on their intuition that this location was in the Pacific Ocean.

But upon closer examination...

They just remembered.

This is Guam, the core defense hub for mold in the Pacific!

This island boasts the highest density and most complete air defense and anti-missile system in the entire Pacific Ocean, even comparable to the mainland of the United States.

As the plane flew over Guam, Yang Xiao and Wu Changjiang felt like they were dancing on the grave of the American.

Yang Xiao immediately advised, "Descend a bit! Your aircraft has good stealth capabilities; it should be able to blend in in near space. Don't fly too high!"